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The Mancos-based<\/p>\n
Tribal College Journal <\/em>is a national, nonprofit media organization operated by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. For the past five years, the group has held a TCJ Studen<\/em>t film contest, and this year\u2019s winner will receive a $1,000 prize along with an all-expenses-paid trip to the film festival in Richmond, Virginia, in November.<\/p>\n \u201cMost folks are unaware, but there are some outstanding artists and tremendous creative energy at tribal colleges and universities,\u201d Tribal College Journal<\/em> editor Bradley Shreve told The Journal.<\/em> \u201cIn partnering with the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival, TCJ is able to offer tribal college student filmmakers a wonderful opportunity to showcase their work to a national, even international, audience.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the fourth year of the festival, which aims to honor Native Americans\u2019 contributions and highlight their language and culture through their perspective and lens.<\/p>\n \u201cStorytelling and filmmaking have suffered from a lack of representation of important groups that influenced American democracy, notably Native Americans,\u201d said festival organizer Bradby Brown in a statement. \u201cNative culture is rich, steeped in history, and multifaceted, yet mainstream films do not often capture this nuance. With this partnership we hope to honor the contributions of Native student filmmakers and reinvigorate the conversations about telling stories of indigenous life.\u201d<\/p>\n The festival will be held at the historic Byrd Theatre from Nov. 20-22. Other renowned filmmakers, actors and artists who have attended it include Michael Horse, Shelley Niro, Darlene Naponse, George Aguilar and Pura F\u00e9.<\/p>\n Tribal College Journal <\/em>has covered the news and issues of tribal colleges for more than three decades. It\u2019s operated by the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, a nonprofit that supports and advocates for the nation\u2019s accredited tribal colleges and universities.<\/p>\n Last year, Michael R. L. Begay won the TCJ Student<\/em> best film award for his 6\u00bd minute thriller, \u201cLighting Boy<\/a>,\u201d featuring a culturally based storyline, special effects and a performance by poet and writer Vivian Mary Carroll. Begay, who is Santo Domingo Pueblo and Navajo, is a graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, and studies cinematic arts and technology at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.<\/p>\n Begay presented<\/a> his film as part of the Pocahontas Reframed shorts program.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an important step in supporting and increasing awareness of indigenous filmmaking,\u201d Shreve said.<\/p>\n To participate in the TCJ Student film contest, students must be enrolled at an AIHEC-affiliated tribal college. Films should be under 30 minutes in length, and the deadline to submit entries is March 27.<\/p>\n For more information on the contest and to access the official entry form, visit the contest\u2019s website at http:\/\/tcjstudent.org\/contest\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n